Introduction To American Deaf Culture By Thomas Holcomb Summary

Introduction to American Deaf Culture by Thomas Holcomb begins with a graphic celebrating Deaf culture to set the tone for the whole book. Holcomb discusses the difference between being deaf and the Deaf community, and the difference between community and culture. He uses specific examples to show how Deaf culture adheres to all five hallmarks that make up a culture. In the third chapter, he defines many of the terms and labels used to describe deaf people, including hearing-impaired and hard of hearing. Within this section, a helpful guide of appropriate terms and inappropriate terms is provided so hearing people understand what is acceptable when describing a deaf person.
After discussing the outsider view of the Deaf community, Holcomb divulges into labels used by members of the Deaf community to describe their peers. Terms like balanced bicultural Deaf people and culturally separate Deaf people help classify the environment a deaf person feels most comfortable in and the method of communication they chose to use. After defining those labels, he discusses the stages of cultural awareness Deaf individuals go through when settling into the community and their sense of self. In the last chapter focused specifically on the culture of American Deaf people, the author notes several influential …show more content…
He also talks about the growth of American Sign Language, and it how it has evolved to be most effective when combined with the hearing community. Moving onto Deaf literature, Holcomb shows how Deaf literature has moved from consumption by only Deaf individuals to being more accessible for all people interested in the Deaf community. In the Deaf art chapter, the author talks about the importance of art for the history of Deaf culture, as well as the way Deaf art aids in the understanding of Deaf people’s lives by people not in the Deaf